Metering bar assembly for ink fountain roller

ABSTRACT

An ink fountain having a composite metering bar made up of a plurality of alined sections or slides spaced parallel to one another, the bar being mounted in a horizontal slot formed in the frame of the fountain and in abutting relation with the surface of the roller. The sections are embedded in a strip of flexible plastic or the like which bridges the sections so as to present to the roller a continuous metering edge and so as to present to the walls of the slot continuous sealing surfaces, while nevertheless permitting individual endwise movement of each section toward and away from the roller independently of the adjacent sections. An eccentric is connected to each of the sections at a point remote from the presented edge for adjusting the position of the section with respect to the roller thereby to adjust the thickness of the ink film in respective zones.

United States Patent [1 1 Cappel et al.

1 1 July 22, 1975 1 1 METERING BAR ASSEMBLY FOR INK FOUNTAIN ROLLER [73] Assignee: Roland Offsetmaschinenfabrik Faber & Schleicher AG, Germany 22 Filed: June 20,1973

211 Appl. No.: 371,594

2,837,024 6/1958 Dougan 101/365 3,110,254 11/1963 Davis 101/365 3,356,067 12/1967 Krasnow et al.. 118/123 3,730,090 5/1973 Lamberg 101/365 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,230,038 6/1967 Germany 101/365 Primary Examiner-J. Reed Fisher Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Wolfe, Hubbard, Leydig, Voit & Osann, Ltd.

[57] ABSTRACT An ink fountain having a composite metering bar made up of a plurality of alined sections or slides spaced parallel to one another, the bar being mounted in a horizontal slot formed in the frame of the fountain and in abutting relation with the surface of the roller. The sections are embedded in a strip of flexible plastic or the like which bridges the sections so as to present to the roller a continuous metering edge and so as to present to the walls of the slot. continuous sealing surfaces, while nevertheless permitting individual endwise movement of each section toward and away from the roller independently of the adjacent sections. An eccentric is connected to each of the sections at a point remote from the presented edge for adjusting the position of the section with respect to the roller thereby to adjust the thickness of the ink film in respective zones.

8 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUL22 I975 3.8 95; 575

SHEET 1 METERING BAR ASSEMBLY FOR INK FOUNTAIN ROLLER It is an object of the present invention to provide an ink fountain which employs a composite metering bar in abutting relatation to the surface of the fountain roller and which is divided into spaced parallel sections for individual endwise adjustment toward and away from the roller thereby to determine film thickness. In this connection it is an object to provide an ink fountain which enables a precise and fine adjustment of the thickness of ink film. zone by zone. along the length of the fountain roller and in which the adjustment remains constant in spite of changes in operating conditions as. for example, changes in hydrodynamic pressure which varies in accordance with the speed of the roller and the viscosity of the ink. It is a related object to provide an ink fountain in which the usual fountain blade is replaced by a set of thick sections. or slides. spaced edge to edge parallel to one another in a plane which intersects the roller axis. and with the slides being rigidly supported in the frame so as to positively be sealed against leakage of ink.

It is a further object to provide an ink fountain having a composite metering bar made up of a plurality of interconnected'slides abutting the surface of the fountain roller in a plane which substantially intersects the roller axis and in which an adjustment in one direction or the other may be imparted. with positive action to each slide. zone by zone. along the length of the roll without affecting the adjustment of the adjacent slides.

It is a general object of the invention to provide an improved ink fountain for a printing press which is easily adjusted. which permits the adjustment to be precisely reproduced manually or under remote control. in spite of dried or gummy ink accumulation. but which is nevertheless economical. long lived and easily cleaned and maintained.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the attached detailed description and upon reference to the drawings in which:

FIG. I shows in vertical section an ink fountain embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view looking along the line 22 in FIG. 1 and showing a number of slides which comprise the metering bar.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a typical metering slide taken edgewise and looking along the line 33 in FIG.

While the invention has been described in connection with certain preferred embodiments. it will be understood that we do not intend to be limited to the particular embodiments shown but intend. on the contrary. to cover the various alternative and equivalent forms of the invention included with the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Turning now to FIG. 1 there is shown an ink fountain having a frame which includes an upper portion 11 and a lower portion 12 pivoted at 13. The two portions are accurately related to one another by a series of pins 14 which are distributed longitudinally at intervals and are held drawn together by a series of screws 15 (only one being shown).

The two portions ll, 12 of the frame together define a slot having parallel upper and lower walls 21, 22. Located in the slot 20 is a metering bar of composite construction to which more detailed reference will be made. It will suffice for the moment to note that the metering bar has a presented edge 26 which engages the surface 27 of the fountain roller 28. Conventional means (not shown) are provided for journaling the fountain roller 28 in the ends of the fountain frame and for rotating the fountain roller at a predetermined speed. Unlike the conventional fountain blade which bears an angle with respect to the surface of the fountain roller. the metering bar 25 is preferably located in a plane which intersects. or which comes close to intersecting. the axis 29 of the roller.

In accordance with the present invention the metering bar is made up of a series of relatively thick sections in the form of interconnected slides uniformly spaced along the fountain roller to define zones of adjustment of ink film, with the spaces between the adjacent slides being intimately occupied by flexible material in bridging relation so that the bar presents to the roller 21 continuous metering edge while nevertheless permitting positive individual endwise movement of each slide toward and away from the roller independently of the adjacent slides. More specifically in accordance with the invention. all of the slides of the metering bar are engaged by. or molded in. a continuous strip of tough flexible material which presents to the roller a continuous metering edge and which presents to the walls of the slot. formed in the frame, continuous sealing surfaces to prevent leakage of ink. An eccentric. or cam. coupled to the remote end portion of each of the slides enables adjustment of the slide toward and away from the roller for independent control of the ink film zone by zone.

Thus referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 the metering bar 25 will be seen to consist of a number of identical sections or slides 30. Each slide has a flat head portion 31, a longitudinal or shank portion 32, and a remote or end portion 33. The head portion 31 is preferably of tapering triangular profile having a presented edge 34, and the remote portion 33 is preferably annular in shape for snug reception of the outer race of a bearing 35 which forms the output of an individual eccentric drive mechanism 36 to which reference will be made.

The sections of the composite metering bar are all interconnected by mounting them in a longitudinal strip 40 of tough yet flexible and resilient plastic material. The strip of plastic 40 is preferably of rectangular cross section. having an upper surface 41, a lower surface 42 parallel thereto. and a front. or presented. surface previously referred to and indicated at 26. The bar sections have their edges 34 spaced from one another in the plastic strip as indicated at 43. Because of this spacing. and because of the large average spacing between adjacent sections. due to the triangular shape of the portion 44 of the strip which lies between them. each section has a high degree of longitudinal mobility. that is, each section may be adjusted longitudinally backwardly or fowardly over the necessary range of film thickness without affecting the adjustment of the adjacent sections.

In order to insure that each of the slides or sections 30 is precisely positioned in the strip 40, and to increase mechanical support. the sections are preferably provided with upraised land surfaces 45, 46, which, as shown in FIG. 2, are triangular in profile. and which are flush with the upper and lower surfaces 41, 42, respectively. of the flexible strip.

It will be apparent that by screwing down upon the screws 15, which connect the upper and lower portions 11 and 12 of the fountain frame together, any desired degree of pressure may be exerted against the opposite sides of the composite metering bar for the purpose of sealing it against leakage of ink. To further insure a snug, leakproofjoint, the walls of the slot are longitudinally relieved as indicated at 51,52 and the relieved spaces are occupied by longitudinally extending strips of sealing material 53, 54, respectively which may be of suitable plastic material and which may, if desired, be molded and cured in place.

While the plastic material commercially available under the trademark VULKOLLAN is preferably employed as the material of the strip 40, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to any particular material and that many different plastics and synthetic rubbers are selectively available which combine the features of toughness, flexibility, or resiliency, and dimensional stability, with the added feature of being adherent to the engaged surfaces of the bar sections. Thus when the slides are molded in place the strip and the slides, taken together, form a permanently bonded composite structure which may be easily and quickly installed, or removed, from the fountain structure as a unit.

FIG. 1 illustrates the eccentric drive 36 used for an individual one of the slides 30. Received within the anti-friction bearing 35 is a stubshaft formed at the end ofa bushing 55 which has a body portion 56 with a bore 57. The bore receives a drive shaft 58. The bore 57 is not coaxial with the stubshaft but is slightly offset or eccentric, so that, as the shaft 58 rotates, slight orbital motion is imparted to the annular end 33 of the slide,

the endwise component of this motion being utilized for adjustment.

For the purpose of driving the shaft 58, a drive assembly 60 is used, made up of a motor 61 and step down gear box 62, the gears not being shown. The frame of the gear box is secured to the frame of the fountain by mounting screws 63, 64. A certain amount of lateral play is available between the mounting screws and the gear box 62 so that the gear box may be shifted backwardly or forwardly a small amount parallel to the plane of the metering bar so as to establish a reference position for the slide prior to screwing the mounting screws 63, 64 tight. It is one of the features of the construction that while the eccentric drive imparts a small amount of lateral motion to the remote end of the slide 30 incident to the longitudinal adjustment, use of a relatively long shank 32 in each of the slides insures that the lateral motion will produce a negligible change in the angling of the edge 34 of the bar which is presented to the fountain roller.

If desired, each eccentric bushing 56 may be manually rotated. However, it is preferred to drive the eccentrics by remote electrical control, and the motors 61 may be controlled, for either unidirectional or bidirectional rotation by suitable switches, enabling the position of each slide to be independently adjusted to produce a fine degree of clearance, Zone by zone, from a central console.

In addition to the feature of independent zonal adjustment, there are a number of factors which contribute to the reliability and stability of the adjustment, once made. Not only are the individual slides thick and inherently strong, but they are deeply and snugly mounted in the massive frame structure. Each slide has large area support, enhanced by the lands 45, 46, and only the very tip portion of the composite bar is exposed to the hydrodynamic forces of the ink. Thus there is no cantilevering, which results in the deformation of conventional fountain blades as a result in changes in operating conditions. Moreover, the fact that the metering bar lies in, or adjacent to, the plane of the roller axis means that lateral movement of the slide cannot possibly affect film thickness.

Nor is the ease and stability of adjustment affected by accumulations of gummy or dried-on ink. The fact that only the tip of the metering bar is exposed and the fact that the slide surfaces are all protected means that there is no opportunity for ink to adhere to a working part. Nor is there any opportunity for ink to work its way between the relatively slideable sections. Moreover, the eccentric drive, providing a high mechanical advantage, produces a powerful thrust upon each of the controlled slides in both the advancing and retracting directions even where compact, light duty motors are used.

It will be apparent that the above device amply carries out the objects of the invention, providing a structure which is economical, which may be adjusted with a high degree of precision and reproducibility, and which remains in exact adjustment in spite of changes in the roller speed, type ofink or other operating condition.

While the invention has been described in connection with a fountain of the overshot type it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the invention is not limited thereto and may be readily utilized in fountains of all types.

We claim:

1. In an ink fountain, the combination comprising, a frame defining a horizontal retaining slot having parallel walls, a fountain roller rotatable in the frame adjacent the slot, a composite metering bar mounted in the slot and having a presented edge arranged in abutting relation with the surface of the roller, the frame being shaped to support a body of ink adjacent the metering bar so that a film of ink is formed on the roller by the bar as the roller is rotated, the metering bar being made up of a series of slides uniformly spaced from one another along the fountain roller, the slides having individually presented tips in longitudinal alinement to define zones of adjustment of the ink film, means including tough resilient material intimately occupying the spaces between the slides and covering the presented tips of the slides for bridging the slides so as to present to the roller a continuous metering edge of resilient material and so as to present to the respective walls of the slot continuous sealing surfaces while nevertheless permitting individual endwise relative movement of each slide toward and away from the roller independently of the adjacent slides, and separate adjusting means con nected to each of the slides at a point remote from the presented edge for adjusting the endwise position of the slide in both directions with respect to the roller thereby to adjust the thickness of the ink film, the slides being relatively wide at the tips but of narrow width behind the tips thereby to provide a substantial width of resilient material between the slides in the region behind the tips to more readily absorb shear stress as adjacent slides are moved with respect to one another, the slides being substantially free of the resilient material rearwardly of the slot to facilitate independent movement of the adjusting means.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the spaced slides are embedded in a longitudinally extending molded strip of tough resilient material of rectangular cross section having top and bottom surfaces which respectively engage the walls of the slot formed in the frame for sealing the composite bar to the frame and a front edge surface covering the tips of the slides to provide a continuous metering edge. the strip of tough resilient material being sufficiently flexible as to permit endwise movement of each slide substantially independently of the adjacent slides.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 1. each slide having remotely located with respect to its presented tip an eccentric of limited lateral throw having an axis perpendicular to the plane of the slide for the purpose of adjusting the endwise position of the slide, each slide being elongated in a direction radially of the fountain roller and having a shank free of lateral obstruction. the length of the slide being sufficient so that the lateral throw of the eccentric incident to imparting adjusting movement to the slide has substantially no effect upon the angling of the presented tip of the slide with respect to the roller.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 1, each slide having a flat head portion of generally triangular outline, an elongated shank portion and an annular remote end portion. the remote end portion intimately enclosing an anti-friction bearing having means at its center for imparting eccentric motion for individual longitudinal adjustment of the slide. the portions of the slide being formed integrally with one another.

5. In an ink fountain. the combination comprising, a

frame defining a horizontal slot having parallel walls, a

fountain roller rotatable in the frame adjacent the slot. a composite metering bar in the slot and having a presented edge arranged in abutting relation to the surface of the roller. the frame being shaped to support a body of ink adjacent the metering bar so that a film of ink is formed on the roller by the bar as the roller is rotated, the metering bar being made up of a series of slides uni formly spaced along the fountain roller to define zones of adjustment of the ink film. means including tough resilient material intimately occupying the spaces between the slides for bridging the slides so as to present to the roller a continuous metering edge and so as to present to the walls of the slot continuous sealing surfaces while nevertheless permitting individual endwise sliding movement of each slide toward and away from the roller independently of the adjacent slides, and adjusting means connected to each of the slides at a point remote from the presented edge for adjusting the position of the slide with respect to the roller thereby to adjust the thickness of the ink film, the tough resilient ma terial being in the form of a longitudinally extending molded strip of rectangular cross section with the spaced slides being embedded therein. the presented portions of the slides being closely spaced and the portion of each slide which is embedded in the molded strip being of tapering profile to increase the average spacing between the slides thereby to increase the mobility of each slide relative to the next.

6. In an ink fountain. the combination comprising, a frame defining a horizontal slot having parallel walls. a fountain roller rotatable in the frame adjacent the slot,

a composite metering bar in the slot and having a presented edge arranged in abutting relation to the surface of the roller. the frame being shaped to support a body of ink adjacent the metering bar so that a film of ink is formed on the roller by the bar as the roller is rotated. the metering bar being made up of a series of slides uniformly spaced along the fountain to define zones of adjustment of the ink film. means including tough resilient material intimately occupying the spaces between the slides for bridging the slides so as to present to the roller a continuous metering edge and so as to present to the walls of the slot continuous sealing surfaces while nevertheless permitting individual endwise sliding movement of each slide toward and away from the roller independently of the adjacent slides, and adjusting means connected to each of the slides at a point remote from the presented edge for adjusting the position of the slide with respect to the roller thereby to adjust the thickness of the ink film, the tough resilient material being in the form of a longitudinally extending molded strip of rectangular cross section with the spaced slides being embedded therein, the slides having land surfaces occupying the central portions thereof, which land surfaces are co-planar with respect to the upper and lower surfaces of the strip of resilient material for precise and uniform positioning of each slide within the slot and to provide positive lateral support.

7. The combination as claimed in claim 6 in which the walls of the slot are longitudinally grooved and in which the grooves thus formed are occupied by resilient sealing material. each groove being so located that the sealing material engages the land surfaces on the successive sides.

8. In an ink fountain the combination comprising a frame defining a horizontal slot having parallel walls, a fountain roller rotatable in the frame adjacent the slot, a plurality of metering bar slides mounted in the slot arranged in a plane parallel to one another and with their tips spaced from one another. each of the slides having a flat head portion with the tips thereon arranged to abut the roller and having a shank terminating in a remote end portion, the frame being shaped to support a body of ink adjacent the metering bar and in contact with the roller. the head portions being embedded in a continuous strip of tough resilient material which bridgingly interconnects the head portions and intimately occupies the spaces therebetween so as to present to the roller a continuous metering edge and to present to the walls of the slot flat continuous sealing surfaces to prevent leakage of ink, the strip being sufficiently flexible as to permit individual endwise sliding movement of each slide toward and away from the roller independently of the adjacent slides, and a motor driven eccentric having an axis perpendicular to the plane of the slides and captively coupled to the remote end portion of each of the slides for longitudinal adjustment of the slide in both directions thereby to adjust the thickness of the ink film in the region of the slide, the shank portions of the slides adjacent the eccentrics being elongated and free of the tough, resilient material so as to be freely movable in the lateral direction in response to throw of the associated eccentric thereby to reduce the driving power required to effect a longitudi- 

1. In an ink fountain, the combination comprising, a frame defining a horizontal retaining slot having parallel walls, a fountain roller rotatable in the frame adjacent the slot, a composite metering bar mounted in the slot and having a presented edge arranged in abutting relation with the surface of the roller, the frame being shaped to support a body of ink adjacent the metering bar so that a film of ink is formed on the roller by the bar as the roller is rotated, the metering bar being made up of a series of slides uniformly spaced from one another along the fountain roller, the slides having individually presented tips in longitudinal alinement to define zones of adjustment of the ink film, means including tough resilient material intimately occupying the spaces between the slides and covering the presented tips of the slides for bridging the slides so as to present to the roller a continuous metering edge of resilient material and so as to present to the respective walls of the slot continuous sealing surfaces while nevertheless permitting individual endwise relative movement of each slide toward and away from the roller independently of the adjacent slides, and separate adjusting means connected to each of the slides at a point remote from the presented edge for adjusting the endwise position of the slide in both directions with respect to the roller thereby to adjust the thickness of the ink film, the slides being relatively wide at the tips but of narrow width behind the tips thereby to provide a substantial width of resilient material between the slides in the region behind the tips to more readily absorb shear stress as adjacent slides are moved with respect to one another, the slides being substantially free of the resilient material rearwardly of the slot to facilitate independent movement of the adjusting means.
 2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the spaced slides are embedded in a longitudinally extending molded strip of tough resilient material of rectangular cross section having top and bottom surfaces which respectively engage the walls of the slot formed in the frame for sealing the composite bar to the frame and a front edge surface covering the tips of the slides to provide a contInuous metering edge, the strip of tough resilient material being sufficiently flexible as to permit endwise movement of each slide substantially independently of the adjacent slides.
 3. The combination as claimed in claim 1, each slide having remotely located with respect to its presented tip an eccentric of limited lateral throw having an axis perpendicular to the plane of the slide for the purpose of adjusting the endwise position of the slide, each slide being elongated in a direction radially of the fountain roller and having a shank free of lateral obstruction, the length of the slide being sufficient so that the lateral throw of the eccentric incident to imparting adjusting movement to the slide has substantially no effect upon the angling of the presented tip of the slide with respect to the roller.
 4. The combination as claimed in claim 1, each slide having a flat head portion of generally triangular outline, an elongated shank portion and an annular remote end portion, the remote end portion intimately enclosing an anti-friction bearing having means at its center for imparting eccentric motion for individual longitudinal adjustment of the slide, the portions of the slide being formed integrally with one another.
 5. In an ink fountain, the combination comprising, a frame defining a horizontal slot having parallel walls, a fountain roller rotatable in the frame adjacent the slot, a composite metering bar in the slot and having a presented edge arranged in abutting relation to the surface of the roller, the frame being shaped to support a body of ink adjacent the metering bar so that a film of ink is formed on the roller by the bar as the roller is rotated, the metering bar being made up of a series of slides uniformly spaced along the fountain roller to define zones of adjustment of the ink film, means including tough resilient material intimately occupying the spaces between the slides for bridging the slides so as to present to the roller a continuous metering edge and so as to present to the walls of the slot continuous sealing surfaces while nevertheless permitting individual endwise sliding movement of each slide toward and away from the roller independently of the adjacent slides, and adjusting means connected to each of the slides at a point remote from the presented edge for adjusting the position of the slide with respect to the roller thereby to adjust the thickness of the ink film, the tough resilient material being in the form of a longitudinally extending molded strip of rectangular cross section with the spaced slides being embedded therein, the presented portions of the slides being closely spaced and the portion of each slide which is embedded in the molded strip being of tapering profile to increase the average spacing between the slides thereby to increase the mobility of each slide relative to the next.
 6. In an ink fountain, the combination comprising, a frame defining a horizontal slot having parallel walls, a fountain roller rotatable in the frame adjacent the slot, a composite metering bar in the slot and having a presented edge arranged in abutting relation to the surface of the roller, the frame being shaped to support a body of ink adjacent the metering bar so that a film of ink is formed on the roller by the bar as the roller is rotated, the metering bar being made up of a series of slides uniformly spaced along the fountain to define zones of adjustment of the ink film, means including tough resilient material intimately occupying the spaces between the slides for bridging the slides so as to present to the roller a continuous metering edge and so as to present to the walls of the slot continuous sealing surfaces while nevertheless permitting individual endwise sliding movement of each slide toward and away from the roller independently of the adjacent slides, and adjusting means connected to each of the slides at a point remote from the presented edge for adjusting the position of the slide with respect to the roller thereby to adjusT the thickness of the ink film, the tough resilient material being in the form of a longitudinally extending molded strip of rectangular cross section with the spaced slides being embedded therein, the slides having land surfaces occupying the central portions thereof, which land surfaces are co-planar with respect to the upper and lower surfaces of the strip of resilient material for precise and uniform positioning of each slide within the slot and to provide positive lateral support.
 7. The combination as claimed in claim 6 in which the walls of the slot are longitudinally grooved and in which the grooves thus formed are occupied by resilient sealing material, each groove being so located that the sealing material engages the land surfaces on the successive sides.
 8. In an ink fountain the combination comprising a frame defining a horizontal slot having parallel walls, a fountain roller rotatable in the frame adjacent the slot, a plurality of metering bar slides mounted in the slot arranged in a plane parallel to one another and with their tips spaced from one another, each of the slides having a flat head portion with the tips thereon arranged to abut the roller and having a shank terminating in a remote end portion, the frame being shaped to support a body of ink adjacent the metering bar and in contact with the roller, the head portions being embedded in a continuous strip of tough resilient material which bridgingly interconnects the head portions and intimately occupies the spaces therebetween so as to present to the roller a continuous metering edge and to present to the walls of the slot flat continuous sealing surfaces to prevent leakage of ink, the strip being sufficiently flexible as to permit individual endwise sliding movement of each slide toward and away from the roller independently of the adjacent slides, and a motor driven eccentric having an axis perpendicular to the plane of the slides and captively coupled to the remote end portion of each of the slides for longitudinal adjustment of the slide in both directions thereby to adjust the thickness of the ink film in the region of the slide, the shank portions of the slides adjacent the eccentrics being elongated and free of the tough, resilient material so as to be freely movable in the lateral direction in response to throw of the associated eccentric thereby to reduce the driving power required to effect a longitudinal adjustment. 